Sometime before noon in Central Park on Sunday, Shalane Flanagan should cross the finish line of the NYC Marathon. That, alone, will be no small feat for the 40-year-old former Olympic runner.
Now consider this: She will become the first person to ever run the six World Marathon Majors in just six weeks.
Because of the pandemic, the Boston, London and Tokyo Marathons were moved from their traditional spring dates to October, and now all six races are being staged in a 42-day stretch for the first — and likely only — time.
“When I saw how the marathon schedule unfolded, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Flanagan. “I coined it an eclipse because it was just so rare this would ever happen. It didn’t take long for me to think, ‘Why shouldn’t I be the one to do it?'”
While Flanagan is no stranger to the marathon distance — she won the New York Marathon in 2017 — her mission is all the more improbable as she is technically retired, after announcing her departure from the sport two years ago.
“My retirement coincided with two reconstructive knee surgeries, and I basically couldn’t run for a year. Then we hit a pandemic,” Flanagan said ahead of Sunday’s race (8:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN App). “During that time I became a mom and a coach, so there were a lot of life changes, and I realized how much of my mental health is tied into running. I actually really need running. It’s not a job for me, it’s a passion. I missed having goals. Athletes are so goal-oriented and everyone was goal-less during the pandemic.'”
She set a sub-three-hour goal for each of the races and has shattered the mark in each race so far, including a 2:35:04 time in London.
Her current quest has pushed her…
Source : espn
